


Shadow Puppets

by GothixBat



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Angst, F/M, M/M, Memory Alteration, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Protective Wilbur Soot, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Villian!Karl, only canon ships are romantic the rest platonic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothixBat/pseuds/GothixBat
Summary: Wilbur wanted a second chance, and that's what the Inbetween gave him. Teaming up with Karl, He and Wilbur make the journey back in time to fix what happened. When all is going well and according to plan, an evil awakens in Karl, and he no longer wants to remain as Wilbur's shadow.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. The Inbetween

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize in advance if I get anything wrong! I will try my best to keep it as similar to the timeline before I let it get to chaos. I hope you all enjoy it!

The Inbetween was beautiful and mysterious with such angelic features. Even in the places with no torches or light reaching it, the walls, floors, and ceiling still gave it an enchanting glow. The seemingly locked away towers would spark anyone’s curiosity, perhaps even frighten them a bit! Yet the soft angelic singing and hums that came from nowhere were a bit more spooky, yet also comforting. The Inbetween was truly an odd and empty place, yet it held so much mystery just waiting to be discovered!

When Karl arrived he felt as though he were suffocating, as if the in-between was taking his life. There was a sharp tingle at his fingers that made them feel as if fireworks were going to shoot out from them. 

“Pull it together,” Karl told himself in a hushed whisper. Opening his eyes he quickly shut them only to slowly open them to let them adjust to the sudden bright light. Once adjusted the time traveler stood up and adjusted his now grey and white hoodie. Walking over to a lone enchanted book Karl picked it up and opened it up, and began reading. _This is the Inbetween. A world you’ve been to a few times now.”_ His eyes trailed through the rest of the book, taking in its vagueness, trying to figure it out. Karl studied the pages for five minutes before setting the book down and continuing on.

The time traveler walked through the maze-like hallways, going up and down multiple flights of stairs. Karl made a turn, expecting it to be another hallway, but was surprised when he saw a swing set for two and a tree with flowers and grass around it. Karl walked over, yet the second he put his foot down, a cold shiver wrapped around him making his stomach knot as he felt two? Four? Pairs of eyes burn into him. 

“Karl Jacobs?” the voice was distorted yet held a softness to it. Turning around Karl nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw what was swinging gently before him. It was Ghostbur and Wilbur, melted together as one entity. This place really was the Inbetween. 

“Gh- Wilbur?” Karl questioned and the two entities nodded their heads. “Where are we? What is this place?”  
  
“Well from what the book said, this is the Inbetween, didn’t you read it?” Karl asked and they shook their heads. “We’re stuck here on this small patch, the building, it burns Ghostbur.” the more ghostly and sad looking head nodded. “Oh,” “But we found this book, well it says something different for us,” Wilbur said and Karl gave him a puzzled look. “Never mind that, can you help us?” The Ghostbur head requested. “Help you?” Karl asked. “I don’t get what you mean. I’m lost here, I've never been here. I don’t know what this place is! You sir, or sirs? Are dead and alive!” The traveler exclaimed. “I just got murdered by a butler that looks like someone I know, but can’t remember who it is! I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do! I’m confused, this is new for me!” Karl said. 

“Never knew I’d meet a confused and lost time traveler,” 

“Shut up Ghostbur,”

“yeesh, sorry Al- Wilbur.”

“Karl,” Wilbur began snapping the time travelers' attention. “Please, I am practically begging you. Help us, I do not want to spend eternity like this! I look like something from a damn video game! As Ghostbur said, you are a time traveler! You should know how to do stuff like this! Please, help me- us get out of this.”

“Wilbur I’m sorry, but I can’t be much of a help. I can’t control when I travel, or where I travel to. I can’t do this in a snap of a finger and bring us to November 16th. I can’t bring us to the wars, the battles, the election, Tommy’s exile, or even the start of L’manberg. I can’t do that.”

“Can you at least try?” Wilbur asked. “Please, please figure this out. I want a second chance. I want to redeem myself. I want to do things differently. I don’t want these memories that aren’t mine. Tommy, Tubbo, Fundy, and Niki suffered, they suffered and I want to make sure they don’t anymore.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘memories that aren’t yours?’” Karl asked and watched as Wilbur and Ghost bur stood up, beginning to pace around.   
  
“Ever since I- we arrived here, we’ve been getting memories that belong to us. Memories that belong to Tubbo, Tommy, Niki, and Fundy. No clue how, but we’ve been getting them, and I hate them. I hate them so much.” Wilbur said, clearly not wanting Ghostbur to be part of this conversation. “Karl, I want to help them. I want to do things right so that they will be okay.”   
  
“Think of the consequences though!” Karl said. “You don’t know what could happen!” Wilbur walked over, towering over Karl, grasping the top bar of the swing set. Karl watched as Wilbur and Ghostbur’s eyes narrowed in on him. 

“Karl please!” Wilbur said, his expression turning soft, pain and stress strumming at his voice. “I- we- no I need your help. I am very aware consequences exist, and that they could happen, but Ghostbur, you, and I are here for a reason.”

“ _I_ am here for a reason!” Karl exclaimed. “I have to figure that out yes, but you two? It doesn’t make sense why honestly with all the chaos happening. I won’t be surprised if you being here is a mistake,”

“Karl!”

“Sorry! Sorry, I just have to figure some stuff out, There probably is an explanation of why you two are here. Probably an explanation for the other things you mentioned. I would help you, but I have other things to think about.”

“Karl, please! Please, If I don’t fix what happened, I don’t think there will be a future anymore. For fucks sake Karl Niki is already beginning to go insane!”

“I-” Karl paused, trying to find his words, his mind was racing, his stomach felt like it was knotting up. His mouth felt dry. The thought of no future was terrifying, and with chaos running everywhere, something had to be done about it.

“Wilbur, Ghostbur, give me a week. That’s all I ask of you and all I need. I will try my best in getting you guys back to the past to make whatever you have to fix. You know what to expect right because I don’t.”

“We got a good idea.” Wilbur and Ghostbur answered. “And a week sounds perfect, we’ll make a plan in the meantime.”

“Perfect, great, cool. I’ll see you two in a week.”

“Karl,”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, Ghostbur.”

\---

Karl kept his word, a week later he returned.

“Wilbur, Ghostbur, I got what you need.” The two heads lit up, and their melted bodies stood up. “The history book that holds the declarations,” Karl said, holding up the book. “Will it bring us to the very very start?” Ghostbur asked. “No, before the election and exile. I do need you to be aware that some things might be different due to the timelines. You will know things others do not. You do not want those things to be exposed. It could ruin _everything_ even more.”

“Even more?”

“Wilbur, doing this is risky and dangerous. It’s a good thing that I will be coming with you.”

“How?” Ghostbur asked.

“Hypothetically, I might take place as your shadow or something else.”

“Will I be the only one to hear you?” Wilbur asked and Karl nodded. “Yes, and try not to get my cover blown alright?”

“Understood, is it okay if I also can get some advice from you?” Wilbur asked and Karl shrugged. “I do and don’t care about what happens. Please, let’s just get this over and done with so I can go back home to Quackity and Sapnap.”

“Right, you ready to help me fix the past?” Wilbur asked.

“I am, let's fix history.”

The second the quill touched the old books page, a bright light gleamed through it, words wrapping around them, voices of their friends and enemies grew louder along with laughter.

_“The discs were worth more than you ever will be!”_

_“As long as I can’t be the next Schlatt, you can’t be the next Wilbur.”_

_“Technoblade never dies!”_

_“You’re my son!”_

_“Put your stuff in the hole.”_

_“He is just a founder and I was born here.”_

_“This- This is the final control room where it all happens.”_

_“Revoke the citizenship of Wilbur Soot and Tommyinnit!”_

_“It was never meant to be."_

The world fell dark and heavy pressure collided with them. Ghostbur began to melt away giving Wilbur control fully of his body that was taken over by Ghostbur. Karl’s eyes swirled green and purple. The time traveler slowly becoming a mere shadow to him. While drowning in the darkness a light began to break through, and with that Wilbur was back, with Karl as his shadow. The memories of others and the future clear.


	2. My L'manberg?

Wilbur was flooded with pain rushing to his head, bright light shining over him, muffled voices could be faintly heard through the ringing in his ears. Slowly he opened up his eyes, allowing them to adjust.

“Wilbur, you alright man?” 

Tubbo. He recognized that voice as Tubbo’s. Wait, Tubbo? It worked! It worked! Wilbur was back! He was back in time!  Ignoring the pounding inside his skull, Wilbur shot up from where he laid outside and wrapped the young soldier in a hug. “Tubbo!” Wilbur said happily and looked down at him, for a moment, Wilbur saw a mini Jschlatt. He took a moment to remind himself there was no need to worry about Schlatt, that it was okay.

“Uh, Wilbur?” Another voice came over and he recognized it as Tommy, he looked up at his younger brother and smiled. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. This time Wilbur promised that Tommy wouldn’t have to worry about exile in any form. “You good man? I mean, you fell from a fucking wall, and had a tree break your fall!”

“Yeah, I’m fine! Hey, where’s Niki and Fundy? Also Eret,”

“What do you mean Eret?” Tommy questioned. “Yeah! Eret was never part of L’manberg. Niki and Fundy they always are.”

That must have been one of the timeline changes. No Eret. No traitor.

“And that is…?”

“Are you sure you're alright?” Tommy asked. “You are asking a lot of stupid questions.”

“Like I said fine! Now, where are Niki and Fundy?” Wilbur asked.

“Fundy’s outside of L’manberg walls collecting materials in fox form and Niki’s at Techno’s,” Tubbo answered and was cut off by Wilbur. “Techno? As in Technoblade? He didn’t come in till-” Wilbur caught himself. “Come in till what?” Tommy asked and Wilbur shook his head. “Never mind that. Where’s Techno’s?” Wilbur asked. “But Wil-” “Techno’s, where is it? You said Niki is there!”

“Do you just want me to get Niki for you if you’re going to keep asking about her?” Tubbo asked, clearly done with his rephrased questions. “Yes, greatly appreciated,” Wilbur said and Tubbo walked off. “So, if Techno is here, does that mean Phil is?”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, Phil’s been here since the start. Wilbur are you sure you’re alright? This isn’t like you at all. You’re beginning to worry me.”

“Yeah! Like I said, completely fine. Probably just hit my head on the fall down or something.” Wilbur said and Tubbo was walking back over with Niki by his side, a smile began to creep over his face.

“Niki!” Wilbur exclaimed and ran over and hugged her. “Wil?” A confused laugh followed his nickname. “You’re okay,” she looked at him confused. “Never mind what I said. Hello, Niki Nihachu am I glad to see you.”

“Hi Wil, Tubbo said you fell off the wall and had a tree break your fall. Is that true?” She asked. “Yes, but I assure you, I am completely fine and okay!” “The blood says otherwise,” Niki said and Wilbur hadn’t even realized he was bleeding. “Anyway, catch up with you later! I gotta see Phil and Techno!” Before Niki could get out another word, Wilbur ran for it.

“He’s not fine,” Niki said looking at Tommy and Tubbo. “Maybe it was the impact of the fall?” Tubbo suggested. “Whatever it is. He’s acting weird like he has more energy and is happier.”

“Well, it’s good to see he’s happy and has energy,” Niki confessed, and the three of them watched him hurry over to a joint cabin.

“Keeping my eye out on him,” Tommy muttered walking away grabbing an ax.

\---

“Phil! Techno!” Wilbur came bursting in through one of the cabin doors. “Phil! Techno!” Wilbur called out again, rounding the corner.

“Wilbur? What do you want?” Techno grunted standing up and turning around, his left arm resting in a makeshift sling. It was odd to Wilbur to see his brother like that, but he was happy to see him.    


“Phil here?” Wilbur asked.

“Going over battle plans as you asked him to,” Techno answered. “Don’t tell me you’re going to give him more work. You stressing him out too much.”

“What?” Wilbur asked, confused. He would never overwork his father, right?

_ “Psst, hey, Wilbur, This isn’t the direct past, there are changes in everyone. Including you.”  _ Karl’s voice said, and Wilbur shook his head.

“You good?” Techno asked. “Oh, uh, yeah. Fine.” Wilbur muttered and started walking down the hallway.

“What do you mean by that Karl?” Wilbur asked.  _ “Well first off, we came here from a history book, history books don’t have every single detail. A lot of the changes are blanks filled in. Secondly, not everything will be what it seems. I’m not getting good vibes from this place. The characteristics of everything feels off.”  _ “And you're catching onto this now?’ Wilbur asked.  _ “I didn’t feel anything in the Inbetween. I’m sorry.” _

“Don’t worry about it. As long as I can make my changes, those changes affect our timeline. Everything will be good!” Wilbur said optimistically and walked into a spare room that didn’t have either Phil or Techno’s name carved into the door.

Inside Phil was muttering quietly to himself, a candle near gone, papers scattered. No sunlight shined in whatsoever. Broken quills and torn pages littered the ground, a pile of broken glass was sitting next to rotten half-eaten apples.  “Phil?” Wilbur asked weakly, not making much of an effort to grab his father’s attention, his attention was more focused on the rotten food, but he didn’t respond. “Phil?” he repeated in an attempt.  Phil practically jumped from his seat and he turned around. “W-Wilbur, you weren’t coming till tomorrow!” Phil said, trying not to stumble over his words. “Do you need the plans now? Is the attack launching now?”

“What? No!” Wilbur said. “Take a break! Don’t overwork yourself. Hell, don’t even worry about the plans. Relax, there’s no need for an attack.”

“But you said-”

“Ignore what I said!” He exclaimed. “Take a break, you deserve it! How about this, go out with Tommy and Tubbo! Prepare some stuff for a campfire tomorrow night, Get some fish too! I think they might have fun fishing together!”

“Wil what’s gotten into you?

“Absolutely nothing!” He said, patting his father’s shoulder. “While you’re at it, ask Techno for me if he can start a farm! Thanks, Phil! I gotta find Fundy!” Wilbur hurried out of the joint cabins without another word.

\---

“Hey, Karl, meant to ask. What about Eret?”

_ “Guessing that’s another change. This timeline is a bit weird to me. It’s like another reality that affects  _ **_our_ ** _ present reality.”  _ Karl responded.

That made a bit of sense to Wilbur, but he did find that cool.

After walking around for a bit, taking in the details of L’manberg, Wilbur caught up with Fundy who was pulling along a wagon full of logs, holding onto some sugar cane with his free arm.

“Need some help?” Wilbur asked and Fundy looked at him. “Yeah,” without another word Fundy put the sugarcane in Wilbur’s arms and continued heading back Wilbur following behind.  “I thought you didn’t want to leave behind the walls of L’manberg.”

“Well if my son is gonna go out and help collect materials, I think it would be the responsible fatherly thing to do to help!”

“Yeah,” Fundy said, pulling a bit ahead. Thinking Fundy didn’t want to bother with conversation much, Wilbur kept quiet until they came back to L’manberg.

Fundy took the sugarcane back from him and went to put it away and Wilbur made his way over to his house.

\---

When Wilbur arrived, he was met with a broken flower pot spewing soil as dying wilted cornflowers and poppies laid splattered on the counter.

“Hey, uh, Karl?” Wilbur asked, looking down at his shadow which has swirling green and purple eyes.  _ “Yes, Wilbur?”  _ “Can you find out all that you know of this place or timelines if you could call it that?”  _ “Of course! I can do that for you Wilbur.” _

“Great thanks, Karl.”

_ “It’s no problem, just try not to need me for anything else. I’m sure you got ideas of what to do!” _

Karl fell silent after that and Wilbur continued his look around, trying to find something that gave him any information about the changes. Yet he came up empty-handed.

For a while, Wilbur was looking around, rummaging through drawers, looking in closets, trying to find secret rooms or passageways. Eventually, Wilbur found something that caught his interest. A broken guitar with a repair kit. Assuming he wouldn’t find anything else he grabbed the repair kit and guitar and set it down on the table and began working on it.

For a tedious 36 minutes, Wilbur sat uninterrupted replacing the strings - or attempting to - when a knock came at the door. “Come in!” He shouted, not taking his eyes off the guitar. The door opened up and footsteps came over. 

“Wilbur?”

“Techno! Hey! Just give me a second, just about finished replacing the strings!” Wilbur said, offering Techno a seat who shook his head. 

“I thought you didn’t want to look at the guitar again after what happened with Sally…”

“Sally?” Wilbur asked softly and Techno tensed up. “Sorry, Wil I didn’t mean to bring her up”

“It’s fine, truthfully forgot what happened to her,” Wilbur lied, for a moment the general thought Techno caught on to the (sorta?) lie, but he didn’t. “Uh right, well um, Phil sent me, he wanted to ask if you got any fishing rods.”  “No, don’t have any. Ask Fundy or Niki, they might have some.” Wilbur said, turning his focus back to the guitar. “Yeah, noted, uh I got another question for you.” Techno began and Wilbur looked up at him. “What is it?”

“You sure you're okay, you aren’t remembering things no one would forget. It’s  **suspicious** ,” without even looking at Techno, Wilbur knew he had his eyes narrowed on him. Techno was suspicious, he wasn’t a fool. “I assure you Techno, I am completely fine. Did Phil tell you what I want to do?”

“Yeah, he did,” Techno answered and Wilbur smiled. “Great! Tell me how it goes, progress is a great thing. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to spend some time alone, hope Phil gets those fishing rods, and good luck with the garden!” Wilbur exclaimed practically shoving Techno from his house.

Now Wilbur was alone, strumming away at the guitar, even picking up a nice tune he muttered some words creating some song lyrics “And I’ll put down my roots when I’m dead…” It felt oddly peaceful in the dark with only a candle for light and some random chords being played. Yet loneliness clawed at his stomach tying it up into knots. 

Another knock came at the door and Wilbur stood up and opened the door. “Niki?”  “Hi, you’re not busy are you?” She asked and Wilbur looked at the guitar then back at her. “If you think messing around with a guitar is busy, then I am a bee.” Wilbur jokes, but Niki didn’t look so amused. “I’m not busy,” he said awkwardly. “Please, come in, see what I have going. Do you need anything?” He asked letting her in shutting the door behind her.

“I didn’t know you brought the guitar back out.”

“I didn’t know I put it away.”

“What?”

“Nothing, anyway. Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, my flint and steel.”

Wilbur tensed up when she said that, the memory of her burning the L’mantree flashed in his head and he squeezed the brim of the chair to keep himself grounded. “F-Flint and Steel?” Wilbur choked out, passing it off as a cough. “Yeah, the one I let you borrow so you could make those flaming arrows to send at Dream. Don’t tell me you forgot about those. You and Tommy spent a whole month working on trial fire arrows!”

“Right, yeah fire arrows with Tommy, it’s been a long day. I’m tired.”

Niki nodded understandingly. “I get what you mean. I can always swing by tomorrow to get my flint and steel. Hope you sleep well Wil.”

“Goodnight Niki.”

“Goodnight Wilbur.”

Closing the door after her, a sigh of relief escaped from him. “This is going to be harder than expected.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoyed the chapter! suggestions are most definitely welcomed!


End file.
